THE STORY OF THE LIZARD. 
In this country there are many harmless species of lizard, but in the 
Rocky Mountain region are found some that are exceedingly poisonous. The 
desert lizard, which ranges from, Central America to* Arizona and New 
Mexico, is the only one that has a deadly sting. The fairy-like teeth have 
grooves for the transmission of the fluid similar to* the cobra. 
The lizards are usually active, bright-eyed little creatures, delighting to 
bask in the sun, near some safe retreat, to* which they dart with astonishing 
celerity upon the slightest alarm. Two species o*f lizards are found in the 
eastern arid central states— : the common lizard and the sand lizard. The 
latter animal is considerably larger than the common lizard, as it sometimes 
measures a foot in length. It frequents sandy heaths, and in the sand its 
eggs are deposited, fourteen or fifteen in number. The eggs are hatched by 
the heat of the sun, and the young immediately lead an independent life. Dur¬ 
ing the winter this as well as the common lizard hibernates in a burrow 
usually made under the roots of a tree, nor does it ag'ain make its appearance 
until the spring. 
The common lizard is only six inches in length. It is more active than 
the sand lizard, disappearing like magic on being alarmed. When seized, its 
tail frequently snaps off like grass. 
The heart in man and the higher animals is divided into a double set of 
compartments, technically termed auricles and ventricles, each set having no 
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